Christopher Vernon, ESQ

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB APRIL MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on April 9, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a buffet lunch and to listen to the Mr. Christopher Vernon esq. discuss “Investor Protection 2015”.    

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Roccy DeFrancesco. Mr. Vernon spoke about how to choose the right financial advisor, how to avoid financial scams and the issues with fake and high risk investment products. Some of the areas he covered were:   

1)      How to choose an investment advisor

a.      Perform due diligence on a financial advisor by using the FINRA.ORG web site

b.      Make sure they have errors and omissions insurance

c.       Ask about standards of care and investigate suitability of potential investment products

d.      Make sure that the investment advisor is either a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) as the other titles are much easier to obtain

2)      Make sure the actual investments of a fund mirrors what the fund is designed to provide, for example:

a.      The Charles Schwab Yield Plus Fund was actually invested in risky California Mortgaged Backed Securities (MBS)

b.      The UBS 100% Principle Protected Note was actually an unprotected note from Lehman Brothers which went bankrupt

3)      Investment risk, including:

a.      Liquidity risk

b.      Transparency

c.       Margin buying

Mr. Vernon handled questions from Right Angle Members and provided advice and guidance in areas of selecting investments and choosing a financial advisor.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance wrapping up a very successful VCC Right Angle Men’s Club in the 2014/2015 season.  

DR. ALLEN WEISS, PRESIDENT & CEO OF NCH

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB MARCH MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on March 19, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a plated lunch and to listen to the CEO of NCH Healthcare, Dr. Allen Weiss. The theme of Dr. Weiss’ talk was “The Future of Healthcare Is Now”.   

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper.  Dr. Weiss spoke about the technological evolution in delivering healthcare services and some of the new capabilities being piloted today at NCH and Sloane Kettering which included:   

1)      IBM’s Watson computer providing better patient diagnosis than humans at Sloane Kettering

2)      “Doctors on Demand” using Skype and FaceTime for diagnosis over the web

3)      “Smart Pills” that can signal when medicine has entered the stomach to help insure elderly patients are taking their medicine

4)      “Smart Rooms” at NCH that use Radio Frequency for patient vital signs and medical records

5)      Advances in Telemedicine     

6)      The use of robots in Collier County to deliver clot busting medicine to stroke patients which can significantly reduce delivery time in a very time sensitive process

7)      The use of “Regenerative Medicine” at the Mayo clinic for issues like cancer of the larynx

NCH is very focused on quality of patient care and improving the outcomes for the patients that they serve. Dr. Weiss discussed a program at NCH to monitor patient mortality for Sepsis (blood infection) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that was instituted using Statistical Quality Control Methods and 6 Sigma. That program has reduced the mortality rate from 34% to 8% for ICU sepsis. This has significantly improved both patient outcomes by preventing many mortalities as well as lowering the cost to deliver the service.  

Florida, as a state, is in the 2^nd quintile for quality of healthcare in the United States.  An individual’s zip code is the best predictor for life expectancy. The use of sewers and “potable water” has been the most significant factor in improving life expectancy worldwide. In the future, you can expect to see further exploitation of technology to improve patient outcomes as well as reduce the cost of medical care in both the United States broadly as well as in Collier County.

Dr. Weiss answered several questions and concerns from our members including a description of the new NCH facility being built at Collier and Immokalee which will have an emergency room and 20K square feet of full service hospital facilities and offices for family physicians.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

RIGHT ANGLE MEN'S CLUB FEBRUARY MEETING

The Right Angle Men's Club met on February 12, 2015 to enjoy camaraderie, a plated lunch and to listen to Stephen Myers from Angel Eyes UAV. Mr. Myers is the president of the company that focuses on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or DRONES.  

The meeting kicked off with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper.  After opening remarks, Mr. Myers discussion of UAVs covered the following major topics:   

1   1)      UAV definitions and classification

2   2)      Legal aspects and implication of UAVs

3   3)      Application and use of drone (UAV) technology    

Some of the key points from his discussion were:

Unmanned Ariel Systems have been in use since WWII when balloons were used to drop bombs. UAVs are ideal for use with tasks that humans should not be involved with because they are one of the “4Ds”- Dull, Dirty, Dangerous or Difficult.

There is much grey area today with regulation of UAVs. The confusion is due to both the lack of regulation and many commercial and non-commercial uses of UAVs. While the US lags other countries, Florida is very friendly to the aviation industry. There are many issues with UAVs including detection and avoidance, spectrum, secure GPS and certification.

 

The uses for UAVs include:

1   1)      Detecting hot spots on houses or commercial buildings.

2   2)      Multi-spectral detection for crop growth and vegetation, including golf courses.

3   3)      Volumetric studies.

4   4)      Corona discharge for electric wires.

  

In the future, you can expect more safety features for UAVs including parachutes, personal airspace protection, deterrents for flight interruption and capability to block jamming of UAV control transmission.

Mr. Myers answered several questions and concerns from our members including the FAA's proposed laws.

The following link contains a summary of the FAA’s suggestions for proposed laws:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/media/021515_sUAS_Summary.pdf

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

Right Angle Men's Club January Speaker's Meeting

The Right Angle Men's Club met on January 15, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a terrific buffet lunch and to listen to Charlotte Miller from Florida Power and Light. Ms. Miller is FPL’s Manager of External Affairs for Southwest Florida. Ninety one (91) members including several guests attended the meeting in Vanderbilt Country Club’s wonderful, new Vista Room.

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and opening remarks by Paul L’Esperance.  Bill Cooper introduced Ms Miller, our guest speaker who provided an overview of FPL and FPL’s parent company Next Era Energy. She discussed:  

1)      The regulated and un-regulated parts of the business

2)      FPL’s power generation facilities

3)      Smart grid initiatives from a consumer perspective   

Some of the key points from her discussion were:

The regulated side of FPL’s business provides electricity to approximately half of the state of Florida serving 4.7M customers in 35 counties. FPL is the lowest cost electricity provider in the state of Florida of all of the 55 utilities covering the state. Most of the electricity is generated from gas and nuclear energy. FPL has two nuclear power plants in Florida at Turkey Point and Stewart Island.

Using Smart grid initiatives and FPL’s Next Generation Energy Centers, FPL has significantly cut the cost to generate electricity for the customers FPL serves. Solar energy is beginning to grow with pilot projects underway. The challenges continue to be the amount of space needed for solar and battery backup. FPL is driving additional use of solar with a facility in DeSoto County.

 

Approximately 46M homes in the United States have smart meters which is about 40% coverage. Using automated, two way wireless encrypted transmission, FPL can provide additional capabilities to consumers as compared to the older, electro-mechanical meters. These capabilities include outage assistance and restoration, monitoring and metering usage real time and an energy dashboard where customers can watch usage by hour. 

  

Ms. Miller answered many questions and addressed concerns from our members.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

RIGHT ANGLE MEN'S CLUB NOVEMBER MEETING

                                                                                                                The Right Angle Men's Club kicked off the 2014/2015 season with a successful meeting in the beautiful and recently renovated VCC Clubhouse.  Seventy four (74) members attended the meeting to enjoy comradery, a wonderful lunch buffet and a very informative speaker.

The meeting kicked off with Lyle Carter presenting a check to VCC General Manager John Laliberte for the new clubhouse podium. After the pledge of allegiance and member welcoming, our guest speaker, Collier County Commissioner Mr. Tim Nance discussed:  

1)      Economic development (roads and building) in Collier County

2)      Steps being taken to make Collier County run more efficiently

3)      Encouraging business development in Collier County   

Some of the key points from his discussion were:

Collier County contains roughly 1.3M acres of which approximately 80% or 1M are already in “preservation” status.  Nearly 15% of the county is already built and only 5% of the 1.3M acres is in discussion for future development.  Much of the building will occur near VCC with planned communities similar to Vanderbilt Country Club. The surrounding roadways, including CR 951, are being expanded to accommodate the anticipated additional traffic. 

In addition to the roadway and building discussion, Mr. Nance  also talked about the ways that he is making Collier County Government more efficient. He has established a 1^st Hearing Examiner position to approve non-controversial items as well as eliminating several “Executive Director” positions in order to flatten his organization structure.  He also discussed 55 action items that are being assessed to either simplify the operation of Collier County or to help reduce regulation. He recognizes the need to streamline Collier County government and is taking steps toward that goal.

Taxes in Collier County, and all other counties in the United States, are used predominantly for providing residential services. Business taxes provide a way to help offset the disproportionate cost of providing these services. Mr. Nance also discussed what is being done to encourage business development in Collier County. The Partnership for Collier’s Future Economy was established to identify opportunities for “courting” business. “Opportunity Naples” is a 3 year strategy that was put together to help addresses the issues of business growth and business development in Collier County.  

Commissioner Nance answered many questions and concerns from our members.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with the group looking forward to a continuation of a strong lineup of speakers for the 2014-2015 season, now that our fabulous club house has reopened. 

                             Lyle Carter presented the check to John Laliberte for the new podium.

Tarren Bragdon, The Foundation for Government Accountability

Tarren Bragdon with members of the Right Angle Board.

This highly informative speaker's meeting provided insight on Medicaid, what it is today and where Medicaid Reform is headed. Tarren Bragdon, formerly from Maine, is President and CEO of The Foundation for Government Accountability for Florida. He and his family now live in Collier County. He is nationally recognized expert on health reform issues with a specialty in Medicaid Reform.

Mr. Bragdon gained some early political experience in Maine, being elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 21. He has advised various federal and state officials, including Governor Rick Scott, on Medicaid Reform and its implications. Mr. Bragdon presented us with a comparison of how actual costs have dramatically exceeded the estimates of projected costs in those states that implemented expanded Medicaid. Two states in his case study eventually were forced to reduce the coverage or the eligibility or both.

In the Q&A period, it was suggested that more Medicaid creates higher health costs for the general population since hospitals have to make up their losses. Another comment made was since Medicaid patients don't have co-pay obligations they are less apt to manage their healthcare usage.

Mr. Bragdon's PowerPoint charts were clear and his entire presentation was very well received by the club members.

Today, Jack Bream was recognized for his service to the Right Angle Men's Club since its founding. Jack provided many of our speakers and brought the AVID program to VCC. We are grateful for all he has done.

Dr. Wilson G. Bradshaw, President Florida Gulf Coast University

President Bradshaw spoke at VCC Right Angle Men's Club on Feb. 14,2013. He gave an overview of FGCU-its history, expansive growth and future plans. Presently, FGCU has an enrollment of 13,500 students and has grown from 4 to 95 buildings over the last 16 years. Dr. Bradshaw explained that students gain a full learning experience not limited to 15 hours of classroom time. He also said that online classroom time is expanding rapidly. All decisions are made with environmental sustainability in mind. FGCU networks with heads of other universities and colleges as well as county representatives. FGCU students enjoy relatively low tuition rates and are near the top in job placement. Everyone enjoyed his pleasant delivery and good humor. He urged everyone to visit the campus and to support the University's athletic teams.